Game apparatus



lMarch 16 1926.

0 w e n 8. 4|/ um m, L/ e #Y bmw R. 1 Ross.

GAME APPARATUS Filed Nov. 2v, 1925 ab u lllllll llll llll llll llll llll llll llll llll llll lllllll llll llll llll llll I Igea llll llll lll ulwl n RIGHT END 3 RUN PUNT 's'voLmE A Jarama( l JNVENTOR j? 7 joert.L;Ro55,

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES- IROBER'J.1` L. ROSS, OF INDANPOLIS, INDIANA..

GAME' APPARATUS.

Application led November 275-1925'. Serial No. 71,541.l

To all. whom! t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT L.v ROSSI, a citizen of the United StatesI residing at Indianapo lis, in the county of Marion' and State' of Indiana,- have invented a newV and useful Game Apparatudof which the following is a speciicatiom. p

My invention relates to improvements in `gaines and has for its particular object the provision of a parlor game adapted to be played by .two players and simulating as near as` possible the game of foot ball as played in the open field.

One of the objects of my 'inventionv is to provide a game of this character wherein there is used a' chart laid off' in' simulationv of a foot ball field and a duplicate Aseries of indicator pieces, one set being'` adapted to be used by one player and the other being adapted to be used by the other' player and having in dicia thereonv to correspond with the indicia on the chart'to provide during theplay an amusing and interesting game.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention l haveV illustrated certain embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig'. 1 isa perspective view of the game apparatuslaid out as intended to be used;

*ig-2 is a plan view of the chart;

Fig. 3 isa View of a series' of indicator pieces for use in connection with the chart shownv in Fig. 2; Y n Fig-4 1s a view of a quarter taby indicator;

Fig. 5 is a plan view' of a down indicater; Y l

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the playing piece for movement on the chart, and p Fig. 7 is a plan view of the gain indicator'. y

In' the embodiment illustrated Il provide a chart l which may be` printed on'lany suitable material, preferably stili", such as cardboard or' the like and which is ruled transversely thereof by lines 2 to simulate the markings of a foot ballfield, starting inthe center with the. fifty yard line' and moving vback by five yard graduations to the zeroor goal line. Intermediate of the five yard lines there are suitable yardage graduating lines as 3. Intermediate the center fifty yard line and the goal line at each end of the fiel-d and at thel twenty-five yard line the lines 4 are made' heavier' at this point for a purpose which will more jfully hereinafter appear.

At each of the chart and near one side I preferably provide `the indicia 1, 2 and: 3

and on one sidel approximately at the fifty yard line I provide a series of marked i Yspaces 51.

,vided for by the pla-y indicators 7 of which I preferably provide 11, although this number is'V not arbitrary and these' play indicators are duplicated so thaty each side will have one set. In addition to the play' indicators I *provide a gain indicator 8"V which co-op" crates with the chart and is' moved along 1n accordance with the' play to indicate the amount of gain necessary to be made after each play' has been called. I alsof provide a quarter indicator Qwl'i-ich is adapted to rest on the blanks 5 and be movedto one of these blanks in accordance with the progress of the' game. In addition to the above indicaters I provide a down indicator 10 preferably divided ofi into four squares numbered respectively l, 2, 3f and 4 for" indicating `the down which has beenV accomplished.

The parts above described are preferably packed in a suitable box' or container 11 which when the pieces are adapted to be usedin playing' may be turned up side down so that the bottom 12 forms a table or support for the chart and its ends provide obscurities for the play indicators.

vIn using the game a set of playindicators is distributed to each of the players and these are arranged face up behind the opposite ends of the box ll on which the chart is adapted to be placed, the' ends of the' box serving tov obscure the play indicators from the opposing," player. The quarter tab is placed on one ofthes'paces 5 to indicate the first half of the first quarter and the down indicator may be placed at anyv position on the chartY desired to be used for indicating the downs Theball is placed on the chart on'the twenty yard line nearest-the player who has elected to take the offense. After theparts' have been arranged the player whol has been elected to take the 'defensc selects from thev play indicators 7,

'three indicators which are placed on the chart opposite the'nnmbers '1, 2 and 3- face down. These play indicators each has a different form of play indicated thereon, as for example, a right end run and at each end thereof indications of the yardage to be gained or lost. The indications at each end may be similar or they may be different. After the defensive player' has elected the three plays of three play indicators and positioned the same opposite or over the numbers l, 2 and 3 at his end of the chart, the offensive player calls from one of his indicators a play. If the indicator selected by the defensiveplayer and placed over the numeral` 1, When turned up proves to be the' same play as that called by the offensive player then the first indicia or indication at the top of the right hand end of the gain indicator indicates what the play has accomplished, as for instance, it may be a fumble as indicated by the letter F in the first of the indicators shown or it may be a loss of five yards as shown by the second play indi-` Cater or any arbitrary gain or loss as desired.

' If the first play indicator is turned up and does not correspond with the play called by the offensive player then the second play indicator is turned up and if this corresponds to the play called by the offensive player then the play will be the second of the column of indicia at the right hand of the play indicator ywhich may be, as shown by the first of the indicators illustrated, a loss of three yyards and the ball is moved accordingly on the chart backwards from the point ofplay three yards. If the second play indicator turned up failsto correspond to the play called then the third play indicator is turned up and if this corresponds to the play called by the offensive player then the third indication of the column of indicia on the right hand end of the play indicator will be the control of the ball moved in accordance with the gain or loss indicated thereby. If none of the play indicators turned up correspond to the play called by the offensive player then the fourth indication of the column of indicia at the right hand end of the play indicator controls `and the ball is moved on the chart either forward or backward in accordance with different indications. After the ball by the above process has been moved down the field either in one direction or the other until it reaches the twenty-five yard line (the line heavily shown) then instead of the indicia at the right hand end of the player indicator controlling, the indicia at the lefthand endof the indicator will control, the method of playing however being the same as above described.

- The gain indicator 8 is used in rconnection vwith the advance or retreat of the ball in the and after that each successive play must advance the ball sufficiently far so that four plays will have advanced the ball the length of the gain indicator. lf :four plays advance the ballthe length of the gain indicator then the offensive player retains possession of the ball and the gain indicator is moved forward to commence another series of four plays. If in four plays the ball is not advanced a distance equal to the length of the gain indicator then the initial offensive player loses possession of the ball and the player who had been on the defense gains possession of the ball and becomes the offensive player. After the ball has passed out of possession of one player into the possession of another a half of a quarter is supposed to have ended and the quarter indicator 9 is .moved to the next succeeding space of the spaces 5 on the chart to show which half of the quarter is being played. Each called play is considered a down and the down indicator moved accordingly and if, after four downs have been called or played and the ball has not been advanced by the offensive player the distance of the gain indicator then of course the ball is lost to the defensive player who in turn, as above explained, becomes the offensive player.

I claim as my invention:

l. A game apparatus comprising a playing board having on its surface indicia comprising a series of parallel lines extending transversely thereof uniform distances apart to indicate a foot ball field and having at each end thereof a plurality of indicating characters, of a series of play indicators provided in duplicate each indicator having indicia thereon to indicate a play and having at one. end thereof a column of indicia to co-operate with the indicating characters on the playing boardoand a game piecev arranged to be moved back and forth on said board in accordance with the indications of the play indicators.

2. A game apparatus comprising a playing board having on its surface indicia comprising a series of parallel lines'extending transversely thereof and uniform distances apart to indicate a foot ball field and at predetermined distances from the end certain of said lines having distinctive marking and having at each end thereof a plurality of indicating characters, of a series of play indicators provided in duplicate each indicator having indicia thereon to indicate a play and having at opposite ends columns of indicia to co-operate with the indicating characters on the playing board and a game piece arranged to be moved back and forth on said board in accordance with the indications of the play indicators. v

3. vA game apparatus comprising a playing board having on its surface indicia comprising a series of parallel lines extending transversely thereof uniform distances apart cordance With the indications of the play into indicate a foot ball field and having at dicators and a gain indicator arranged to be each end thereof a plurality of indicating moved back and forth on the board With said characters, of a series of play indicators progame piece.

5 vided in duplicate each indicator having in- In Witness whereof, I, ROBERT L. Ross, 15 dicia thereon to indicate a play and having have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, at one end thereof a column of indicia to co- Indiana, this 24th day of November, A. D. operate with the indicating characters on the one thousand nine hundred and twenty five. playing board, a gaine piece arranged to be i0 moved back and forth on said board in ac- ROBERT L. ROSS. 

